Welcome to Costa Rican Spanish, the blog for Spanish language enthusiasts who want to know the subtleties of Spanish in Costa Rica. I am a Spanish speaker and teacher who grew up in the United States. After moving to Costa Rica, I realized that Spanish in Costa Rica, especially in rural areas, is quite distinct from Spanish I've encountered in other Latin American countries.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Inside-Out

In rural Costa Rica the words 'inside' and 'outside' provide just one example of a set of vague directional references that locals will employ to confuse the hell out of you.

Adentro, to a Costa Rican living in a rural area, is a directional reference meaning "further into the country (boondocks)".

Afuera, as you may expect, means "toward the city". ("Cities" in Costa Rica are often of quite modest size.)

When city folk comes to the Costa Rican countryside, they often get confused by these references. I was witness to a conversation a Costa Rican had with a city-dwelling American when this issue caused major confusion. The rural Costa Rican asked the American (U.S.) "do you like living afuera"? The American then went on to explaining that, no, he prefers the city. The Costa Rican stopped listening at some point (as he normally does) and ended the conversation thinking that the guy actually preferred living in a rural setting. When I brought this up later on, he became defensive, assuring me that the guy didn't like living "afuera".

If you've ever tried confrontation with a Costa Rican, you'll know that it's a futile endeavor. The culture has a high level of avoidance and a distaste for 'necios' who challenge other people. As a result, I didn't try convincing this guy of the cultural divide that the conversation exemplified.

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Other confusing directional references include arriba and abajo. the rural Costa Rican has a surprisingly detailed picture of his area's topography in his head. He'll tell you, "voy pa' bajo", which means nothing to a city slicker. What he'll probably tell you, though, if you care to ask the right questions, is that the town that neighbors him to the south is at about 20 vertical meters below his own. I always wonder: "Couldn't he just tell me the name of the town"?!!? This wondering often gets you nowhere.

Also, Costa Ricans offer gestures to replace descriptive directional cues. Costa Ricans will point at things, whether near or far, with their lips. They press them together and stick them out, as if to make a duckbill, and nod their head in a slight upward motion in the indicated direction.

***Please note that this lip pointing is also a popular way for a Costa Rican man to point out an attractive woman to another dude***

Learn the Spanish of Costa Rica

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Costa Rica

These are some photogenic chanchitos on my farm. In Costa Rica, 'chanchos' can also refer to 'las nalgas' of a woman. I once asked someone why this is and he responded, "porque los alimentan con plátanos." Let me know if you can figure that one out. ;)

Costa Rica

Have you ever seen two rainbows at once? Well, you betta go yoself to Costa Rica, because I've seen this twice thanks to the país muy chiquitico. This picture was taken from a car in the province of Guanacaste.

Costa Rica

This is a young Guanacaste tree in the tree nursery of the Santa Fe Women's Group. The Guanacaste, a tree that spreads out wider several times more than it does tall, is Costa Rica's national tree. Even though these trees are quite beautiful, farmers often chop them down because they take up too much space on the farm and limit the amount of open grazing area. Nonetheless, Costa Rican cattle farmers usually keep at least one of these trees on any large farm.

Costa Rica

This is Rio Celeste (Light Blue River), one of Costa Rica's finest natural wonders. The minerals from the Tenorio Volcano rise up to mix with the water and turn it blue. The spot where this chemical reaction takes place is called "los teñideros", literally "the dyers" in English. On a trip to Rio Celeste you can also hike to one of Costa Rica's finest waterfalls.

Costa Rica

This is the Arenal Volcano, Central America's most active volcano. It's conical perfection is quite breathtaking and its numerous hot springs baths are very relaxing.

Costa Rica

These are fence posts made of tree branches. These branches continue to grow after they're planted into the ground. In rural Costa Rica this is a very common practice, as regular lumber and cement are hard to come by.

Costa Rica

This is a pony (portranco) running with his mother (female horse is yegua).

Costa Rica

This is doña Felipa, the old lady in Caño Ciego de los Chiles who is pushing 100 years old. (She can't say for sure how old she is.) She walks several kilometers each day between different rural towns. She even takes to the fields to 'volar machete' when she has to. She can't weigh any more than 60 lbs., but she's one tough lady.

Costa Rica

Flor de la granda, the flower of that blossoms from the granada plant, from which hangs a huge, soft fruit. It's the shape of a watermelon and the size of a canteloupe.

Costa Rica

This is a cow in rural Costa Rica. To get a cow to move in Costa Rica, you yell "aca!" It's just like 'vaca' without the 'v'.